Eliminate time wasters. Do your employees ask you questions or chit chat when you're trying to get things done? Have them save up their questions and bring them to you all at once at a set time in the day to reduce interruptions. Do you have customers or friends who frequently interrupt your work day to talk about non important matters? If you have employees, have one of them answer all incoming calls and screen out those calls you don't want to take or don't need to take right away.

Begin the process of educating yourself about the market by speaking with every retailer who will talk to you. What rent are they paying? Is it gross (all expenses included) or net (in addition to base rent they pay the landlord's expenses of ownership)? Do they like their location and why? What about their landlord is good/bad? And speak with every appraiser, banker, broker, consultant, developer, investor, lawyer and mortgage broker who will take the time, and who may have information on retail deals in the area. In just a couple of weeks you can learn a tremendous amount about what is going on in the small retail strip world where you live..